Resignations of Uvalde Officials Trigger Backlash Over Handling of Robb Elementary Shooting

On Monday, Cody Smith, the mayor of Uvalde, Texas, resigned suddenly citing health concerns. This came just a few weeks after his victory in the 2023 election, which was heavily influenced by the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting.

In the 2023 election, Smith defeated Kimberly Mata-Rubio, a gun control advocate whose daughter was a victim of the school shooting. The shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers, sparking widespread public outrage over the delayed police response.

Shortly after Smith’s resignation on March 12th, Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez also stepped down. The timing of these resignations came after a local report cleared the police department of any wrongdoing in their response to the shooting, contrary to a federal investigation that pointed to poor organization and confusion within the chain of command as contributing factors to the inadequate response.

The federal report labeled the local response as a “failure that was avoidable”. Families of the victims were angered by this decision and called for accountability from those responsible for their loved ones’ deaths. Mayor Pro-Tem Everardo Zamora will serve as mayor until a new official is elected in November as per Smith’s announcement.